If Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly ever leaves the Fighting Irish for a coaching job in the NFL, his introductory news conference will require some backpedaling.
Kelly scoffed at the notion of coaching at the pro level in no uncertain terms in a recent interview with Blue and Gold Illustrated, citing problems Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly has had since transitioning from the college ranks at Oregon.
Brian Kelly interviewed for the Eagles job before the team hired Chip Kelly in 2013.
"... I get to pick the players that play for me, I get to negotiate the contracts. I've got the salary cap, I've got all that," Brian Kelly said, responding to a question about the perception that he might be eyeing an NFL job. "In the NFL, you don't get to do any of that. Look (at) what Chip Kelly's going through. He tries to control all that and he gets killed for it. I can do all that here at Notre Dame."
That's a stark contrast from comments made recently by Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart, who opined in a radio interview last month that college coaches are itching to move to the pro ranks because the incessant demands and pressures of recruiting make coaching in the college ranks more taxing during the offseason. Smart was speaking from the perspective of an assistant coach, unlike Kelly, and the money that head coaches make at top college programs no doubt helps make year-round recruiting a more palatable experience.
"... Bill Belichick gets control over that but he's won (four) Super Bowls," Kelly said. "I needed to know that to make sure I wanted to do what I was doing. After seeing that and after talking to a number of guys that I know in the NFL, it's crazy."
Kelly lost five games last season, including four in a row to finish the regular season. With another season or two like that, perhaps he'll get a chance to coach somewhere else.
But it won't be as an NFL head coach.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
